We spent the spring of 2013 in Washington, DC, which meant that we were able to go see the cherry blossoms at the Tidal Basin. Early on a Saturday morning, we drove over to take a walk around with Scarlett. Although she was scared of getting too close to the water, Scarlett absolutely loved being around all the people and dogs. I’ve noticed that by having a dog, people are more likely to talk to me when I pass them on the street/path, and the Tidal Basin was no exception.

A number of people wanted to pet Scarlett (of course), and it was fun to see that people really had come from all across the country for the cherry blossoms. Around the monuments, most of the cherry trees produce white blossoms, which almost makes it look like large snowflakes have come to rest on all the branches. My favorite cherry blossoms are the pink, ruffled ones — perhaps because we had one of the trees outside my bedroom window when I was young — yet no matter which ones I see, they always make me smile. It was so nice to celebrate an American tradition (made possible by diplomacy and Japanese generosity) during our time there in between assignments abroad.